HURRICANEs

WHAT Is A HURRICANE A HURRICANE Is A TROPICAL CYCLONE WITH WIND sPEEDs THAT

EXCEED 64 kNOTs (74 MPH) AND CIRCULATE COUNTER-CLOCkWIsE IN THE NORTHERN HEMIsPHERE (CLOCkWIsE IN THE

PARTs OF A HURRICANE

EYE: THE CALM CENTER OF THE sTORM.

EYE WALL: THE REGION sURROUNDING THE EYE WITH THE sTRONGEsT WINDs AND HEAVIEsT RAINs.

SPIRAL RAIN BANDs: BANDs OF RAIN AND sTORMs THAT sPIRAL OUTWARD FROM THE CENTER.

SOUTHERN HEMIsPHERE). sTAGEs OF HURRICANE

DEVELOPMENT

1:TROPICAL DEPREssION: A LOW-

PREssURE sYsTEM

WINDs

LEss THAN

39

(63

kM/H).

FORMs WITH MPH


2:TROPICAL STORM: WHEN WINDs REACH 39-73 MPH (63-118 kM/H), THE

sTORM

BECOMEs A TROPICAL


sTORM.


3:HURRICANE: WHEN WINDs EXCEED

74 MPH (119 kM/H), THE sTORM

BECOMEs A HURRICANE.


WHERE DO HURRICANEs FORM?

HURRICANEs TYPICALLY FORM NEAR THE EqUATOR, IN TROPICAL AND sUBTROPICAL REGIONs. THIs Is BECAUsE WATER TEMPERATUREs MUsT BE AT LEAsT 80 F (27 C) FOR THE sTORM TO DEVELOP.

METHODs SCIENTIsTs UsE TO TAkE MEAsUREMENTs

HURRICANE HUNTERs: AIRCRAFT FLOWN INTO THE sTORM TO MEAsURE WIND sPEEDs AND COLLECT DATA. SATELLITEs: UsED TO MONITOR THE sTORM FROM sPACE, PROVIDING DATA ON ITs sIZE, sPEED, AND LOCATION.

DOPPLER RADAR: MEAsUREs WIND sPEED AND

PRECIPITATION LEVELs


DAMAGE CAUsED BY HURRICANEs

HURRICANEs CAUsE FIVE TYPEs OF DAMAGE: WIND DAMAGE: DEsTRUCTION OF BUILDINGs, TREEs, AND POWER LINEs.

FLOODING: CAUsED BY HEAVY RAINs AND sTORM sURGE.

STORM SURGE: RIsE IN sEA LEVEL DUE TO WIND-DRIVEN WATER.

TORNADOEs: HURRICANEs CAN sPAWN TORNADOEs THAT CAUsE ADDITIONAL DAMAGE.

POWER OUTAGEs: DUE TO WIND AND FLOODING DAMAGE TO ELECTRICAL INFRAsTRUCTURE


SAFFIR-SIMPsON SCALE

THE SAFFIR-SIMPsON sCALE CLAssIFIEs HURRICANEs INTO FIVE CATEGORIEs BAsED ON WIND sPEED:

  1. CATEGORY 1: WINDs 74-95 MPH (MINIMAL DAMAGE).

  2. CATEGORY 2: WINDs 96-110 MPH (EXTENsIVE DAMAGE).

3.

CATEGORY 3: WINDs 111-129 MPH (DEVAsTATING DAMAGE).

  1. CATEGORY 4: WINDs 130-156 MPH (CATAsTROPHIC DAMAGE).

  2. CATEGORY 5: WINDs OVER 157 MPH (CATAsTROPHIC DAMAGE).

HOW HURRICANEs ARE NAMED

HURRICANEs ARE NAMED UsING LIsTs OF PREDETERMINED NAMEs, ALTERNATING BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE NAMEs.

ONCE A HURRICANE CAUsEs sIGNIFICANT DAMAGE OR LOss OF LIFE, ITs NAME Is RETIRED TO AVOID CONFUsION IN FUTURE sTORMs.


sOURCEs:

SOURCE 1 SOURCE PICTUREs ARE FROM CANVA